PDA

View Full Version : Modified Spell Storing



The VP
2007-10-26, 12:29 AM
The cleric in the game I'm running is talking about wanting a modified version of spell storing for her crossbow. Essentially, she wants the stored spell to come from a wand slotted into the item, instead of one she has to cast herself. Does such a modification exist already? If not what would you recommend as a balanced cost or weapon adjustment increase for it? Or is the idea to broken to even consider?

Jack_Simth
2007-10-26, 06:19 AM
Casting a spell from a wand IS casting a spell. You can already put, say, Vampiric Touch into a spell-storing Greatsword from a wand.

That said, Spell Storing is melee-only; you can't normally put it on a crossbow. Additionally, as currently written, you have to be wielding the item to trigger the spell - and you're not wielding the arrow when it's 100 feet away stuck in someone else. And current spell storing takes a standard action to charge up.

If you let someone load up a light crossbow with a wand, and fire wand charges with crossbow bolts at the target automatically with each quarrel, you're doing a couple of things that are on the high-powered side:
1) Letting the crossbowman get iterative attacks with spells of 3rd level or lower (well, with the cost of a feat: Rapid Reload).
2) Letting the crossbowman turn the stronger offensive low-level touch spells into ranged attacks (Ghoul Touch is strong for a 2nd level spell, but the touch range keeps it within reason; remove that, and you've got something that's on the strong side for a 4th level spell; make the range high (a light crossbow has a default range increment of 80 feet - and you can go five or ten before you hit your limit).

That's quite a power boost.

The VP
2007-10-26, 06:54 AM
Thanks for the reply, Jack.

I know you can cast a spell from a wand onto a normal spell storing weapon, but doing so takes two actions: one for the spell, one for the weapon attack, and I think she's looking for something that just has one action.

I think the brokenness of it is lessened if it's only used to cast ranged spells; in this particular instance, she only wants to cast searing light through it, and is giving up a ranged touch for a normal ranged attack.

Is there an alternative that would give a similar effect (other than just Holy, as she wants that on it, too). Overall I think what she's looking for is something that does a fair amount of spell damage (comparable to searing light) without burning through all of her spells (I've not confirmed this, but it's the impression I get). Any ideas?